WIA President Marge Dean on Future Expansion, Equality in Animation (EXCLUSIVE)
Women in Animation is expanding.
“Our focus is on the globalization of WIA and setting up new chapters in all parts of the world,” said its president, Marge Dean.
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“We have partnered with UNESCO and Disney to start developing a similar kind of presence in South Africa, then we would like to expand into the rest of Africa. We have a chapter in Ireland, we have been having conversations with folks in the U.K, with Latin American countries. Expanding our movement and figuring out how to support these groups in different parts of the world is key.”
WIA’s mentorship and leadership programs will grow as well.
“We started talking about Africa too, because we have been able to use it as a tool to work in different parts of the world and focus on specific issues in those places. We are trying to figure out how to break through the glass ceiling, because so many women get stuck.”
The association, dedicated to championing gender justice in animation, recently addressed issues plaguing the industry during the annual WIA World Summit at Annecy, as well as the need for greater diversity in content.
“There is this concern that with things shifting in the industry, and work being so hard to find, diversity is the first thing that will go outside the window. That was our thinking, going into the Summit,” admitted Dean.
“We have to continue reminding people that regardless of the state of the industry, diversity and inclusion continues to be something that’s important to strive for.
Despite some upcoming high-profile titles, including “Aang: The Last Airbender” to be directed by Lauren Montgomery and William Mata, as underlined by Ramsey Naito, president of Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation, there are “many women in leadership roles, but not enough in creative leadership roles.”
“People are usually generous about entry-level positions. But when it comes to leadership positions, where there’s more money to be earned, it becomes less open,” agreed Dean.
“Another thing that’s at play, and I have seen this recently a fair amount, is that because of this increase in unemployment, there are people out there that have years and years of experience. And, because of how things have been, most of them are men. Now, when a job opens up, people go: ‘Should I really take a chance on someone with less experience, who may be a person of color or a woman’?”
Because of such struggles, creators are looking for other ways in.
“We want to open people up to the idea that going through ‘the mainstream portal’ isn’t necessary in animation. There are other alternatives. We have the tools to do a lot of it ourselves, to put IP out and be successful – if you know how to use them.”
The examples are numerous, from Limitless Studio’s first IP “OmoBerry” – “It was created also because of lack of diversity in family and kids’ entertainment, especially animated,” admitted CEO Agnes Soyode-Johnson at Annecy – to Vivienne Medrano’s “Hazbin Hotel.”
“There isn’t one formula on how to capture the audience. [This project] was very homegrown. I was a solo artist that then gained a team and created a structure, and that led to creating a studio, which is now growing and thriving,” said Medrano at the fest.
Dean echoed: “There are people out there putting their content on YouTube and marketing it through social media. They are getting the word out. Also, this new audience that’s growing tends to lean towards content available through YouTube or TikTok anyway. It’s a very viable alternative.”
Sometimes, such mechanisms can be applied more easily to adult content – just like ‘Hazbin Hotel.’”
“I produce ‘Invincible,’ it’s 100% adult series and it’s doing tremendously well on Amazon. There is an appetite and an audience [for it] growing larger and larger, also thanks to the popularity of anime.”
As female or non-binary creators are fighting for a more inclusive work environment – “Women don’t complain and in Nepal, it’s next level. But we want complaints,” observed Deepa Joshi, co-CEO of Incessant Rains Studio – they are also in dire need of “practical business advice.”
“These are the questions I keep getting: ‘How do you put a deal together, how do you do co-production?’ If people are going to do this stuff independently, or through grassroot methods, they need to understand how it works. How does YouTube work, TikTok? Now, they are learning it pretty much on their own,” said Dean. Also noting that despite a challenging time, the animation community can deliver a much-needed change.
“There is no question that everyone wants to see it happen. But when it comes to changing the culture, also regarding gender, we have a far better shot at it because we are flying under the radar.”
“In the entertainment industry, we are seen as this small niche. We generate lots of revenue, but we don’t get recognition. Still, I am optimistic that at one point, the US animation community will hit that 50-50. We are Cinderella, but our goal is to get to that castle.”
All the WIA Summit panels are available here.
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